New Book Explores Making of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ Album

The creation of John Lennon's 1971 album Imagine will be the subject of a new book. Compiled by Yoko Ono, Imagine John Yoko will be released on Oct. 9, what would have been Lennon's 78th birthday.

"A lot has been written about the creation of the song, the album and the film of Imagine, mainly by people who weren't there," Ono said in a press release. "So I'm very pleased and grateful that now, for the first time, so many of the participants have kindly given their time to 'gimme some truth' in their own words and pictures."

Credited to the couple, the 320-page hardcover book takes an in-depth look at Imagine, with remembrances from more than 40 people who were close to them at the time, including the musicians who performed on the LP and friends like Dick Cavett and Sir Michael Parkinson.

The book covers not just the writing of the songs, complete with lyric sheets, but also the recording techniques, and features digitally recreated maps, floor plans and panoramas of the home and studios where Imagine was recorded. Ono and Lennon introduce each chapter and song, while Ono also provides her own commentary.

For the photographs, Ono went through her personal collection of pictures and film stills, including the double-exposure Polaroids that comprised the cover. Eighty percent of the photos have never been published before.

Last year, Ono was finally given a co-writing credit for "Imagine." Lennon based the lyrics on the "event scores" she wrote about in her 1964 book Grapefruit. Lennon had said in a video shortly before his death that Ono's "influence and inspiration" merited a credit.